Ostwick
Ostwick is a city state in the Free Marches located on the Ostwick Peninsular. It was founded by the Tevinter Imperium as a resort destination for the magisters of Emerius to make use of its hunting and fishing grounds. Today its economy is based on the Waking Sea and Amaranthine Ocean trading routes, tourism, and cider. Geography Ostwick is the southernmost city in the Free Marches, located on the Ostwick Peninsular. It is bordered to the North by the Vinmark Mountains and on its western coast by its towering granite cliffs, whilst the eastern coast is lower and heavily wooded for most of its length. The landscape of Ostwick comprises verdant forests in the Vinmark foothills, fertile river valleys, and stark heather moorlands. Its primary industries are the sea trade, tourism, and cider production. Primary Settlements Ostwick City Ostwick City is the largest settlement in Ostwick by some way, and is home to roughly half of the state's population. Its official name is Isonatha, named after its first Teryna, but this fell out of use after the Exalted March on the Dales and is now used only in the city's records. It is at the southernmost tip of the peninsular, built around a natural harbour carved out of steep granite cliffs. The city is protected on two sides by the cliffs, and on the northern and western sides by its famous double walls. However, many of the city's poorer districts are now located beyond the walls. The Alienage is actually located a mile to the west of the city, in a model Orlesian village built by Madame Therouz, since she had the Alienage cleared to construct the opera house. The city is split into four main zones. Its government is centred around the oldest building in the city, the Tevinter-built mage tower and lighthouse on the southernmost tip of the peninsular. After the Circle moved to Gwadar Castle the tower was returned to the city and became the main offices for the harbour and the city's council. This linked the goverment more closely with the Chantry, which was now located at the other end of the street from the Teryn's offices. The area, already popular due to its proximity to the Grand Chantry and the Circle, became the most sought-after in Ostwick. A lift, constructed by dwarven engineers and enchanted by the Arcanists of the Circle, lifts goods from the crowded warehouse district to the council square. Like Kirkwall to the west, Ostwick City has an undercity made from tunnels and caves carved into the cliffs. These were used primarily by smugglers to store and move their goods, and have been expanded by the Carta and other criminal networks over the years. Although large parts of the network are comparable to Kirkwall's darktown, and are even used as sewers, the tunnels that run closest to the cliff edge have become highly sough-after residential areas, and many underworld leaders have developed luxurious mansions with balconies and even gardens carved into the cliff face. Padstock The second largest port in Ostwick is the fishing town of Padstock, on the north eastern coast. It is governed by the Trevelyan Family, and is home to a sizeable fishing fleet that fishes both the Waking Sea and the Amaranthine Ocean, as well as the Trevelyan trading fleet. It sits at the mouth of the Gwadar River, and is bordered to the north by the hunting forests of the Vinmark foothills. Gwadarion Gwadarion is the seat of the Gwadar Bannon, now held by the Circle. It is located on the Gwadar River, and is the main trading town for the central bannons. Most of the cider and spirits produced in the valleys passes down the river from Gwadarion to Padstock, and tourists to the hunting grounds travel the opposite way and stay in the riverside inns. Titlar Titlar is a resort town in the Vinmark Foothills famed for its lake swimming and its hunting. The mountains are home to many rare and dangeous creatures, including wyverns, bears and, on several occasions, high dragon nests. Titlar has numerous inns, brothels and taverns, two theatres, and some of the finest palaces and mansions in the Free Marches. It also has a beautiful but poorly attended Chantry. Stives Located in the Nanveran Valley, Stives is the centre of Ostwick's cider and spirit industry. The valley is on Ostwick's more gently-sloping eastern coast, close to the roads to Kirkwall and the Markham Pass, and is famed for its fertile soils and orchards that date back to the days of the Tevinter Imperium. Some of the trees are believed to be older than Ostwick. Over five hundred different fruit varieties are grown within a five mile radius of the town's market square. The area is also known for its sausages, as most of the farmers rear pigs in the orchards. History The Magisters of Emerius founded a hunting resort called Parthan in the foothills of the Vinmark Mountains in 525 TE. By 600 TE it was a thriving town that controlled the Markham Pass and attracted visitors from across the Imperium, drawn to its crystal clear waters, challenging hunting grounds, and the convenient links to both the slaving centre of Emerius and the wine-making region of Wildervale. Dozens of inns and brothels catered to travellers, whilst many Magisters from the Free Marches and nothern Ferelden kept lavish holiday estates across the peninsular. The estates were sacked by rebellious slaves during Andraste's Exalted March on the Imperium, and only ruins remain. Parthan declared its independence in 1025 TE, changing its name to Ostwick and establishing a similar governance system to the Ferelden Barbarians. Its first Teryna, the elven rebel leader Isona, was killed in fighting against Imperial forces, and her successor Atha negotiated a peace treaty with Tevinter. The rebellion was soon embroiled in fighting with itself, which was only settled when Imperial forces supported Atha and the largely Laetan and human city council against the elven and slave-led fighters. Peace and order were soon restored, and life in Ostwick continued much as life in Parthan had. Ostwick has maintained a closer relationship with Tevinter than most of the southern states, and was the only one to send aid to the Imperium against the Qunari invasion, and the only one to receive aid during the Fourth Blight. It remained the centre of the slave trade in southern Thedas until the threat of an Exalted March in the Storm Age, and its harbour is still the main interchange between the smaller vessels of the Waking Sea and the vast galleons that ply the Amaranthine Ocean. Governance Ostwick is governed by a Teryn or Teryna and a council of eighteen Banns, raised from twelve after the Fourth Blight. Each Bann initially governed an equal area of Ostwick, but despite changing boundaries each Bann maintains an equal vote on the council. The Teryn is a heriditary post which, in theory, has been handed down within the same family since Atha. In practice, it has been passed between almost every Bannon through marriage and adoption. Where a Teryn does not produce an heir or their heirs are deemed incompetent, the Teryn or council may appoint a new heir. In most cases this is through arranging a marriage between one of the heirs and the appointed successor, but on several occasions the Teryn has legally adopted the successor. On one notable occasion, the Banns Hathing retired to Starkhaven and were declared dead in Ostwick so that their daughter Liasa could inherit the Bannon and their son Rorit could be adopted, at the age of 35, by the Teryn. Upon the Teryn's death three years later his parents returned to Ostwick, and he ruled that any adult may adopt another with the consent of both parties and, if living, the adoptee's parents. This has led to a more tolerant approach to same-sex relationships in Ostwick, as step-children and adopted children are such an important part of Ostwick succession plans. The eighteen Bannons comprise fifteen regions of the Ostwick countryside, the Hahren of the alienage, the First Enchanter of the Circle, and the Grand Cleric of the Chantry. They meet monthly to decide on legislation, taxation and on significant criminal cases, with the Teryn responsible for deciding which matters go before the council and holding the casting vote in case of a split council. They are also responsible for collecting taxes from their bannons and paying them to the Teryn's office and training soldiers for the militia. Culture Ostwick's position at the mouth of the Waking Sea has imbued it with a melting pot of different cultures, and it is often said to have more in common with its trading partners in Ferelden and Tevinter than with its neighbours in the Free Marches. A renaissance period in the late Blessed Age saw a boom in the arts when the salon scene was developed, dominated by Orlesian noblewomen who had moved to Ostwick and northern Ferelden after the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden. Ostwick regained its reputation as a destination for the well-to-do, and within a few years large swathes of the city's slums, including the Alienage, were cleared to make way for botanic gardens, a new Chantry, the opera house and corps de ballet, two art galleries, and a college. Many of the most popular hymns were written in Ostwick's chantry, and even the Circle has a well-regarded chamber orchestra. Despite the renaissance, many of Ostwick's traditions have been preserved and now attract visitors from across Thedas. It has hosted the Grand Tourney many times, most recently in 9:36 Dragon when it was attended by King Alistair of Ferelden and the Champion of Kirkwall, and has hosted an annual Maff tournament since it was invented in 8:97 Blessed. Its main attraction, though, is the annual Hauling. This is held on Summerday as a celebration of the lifeboat crew who have saved so many lives over the years. The lifeboat (these days it is the largest lifeboat of four in Ostwick) is hauled out of the harbour in Ostwick city and, with the crew on board, is dragged on a cart around the border by grateful locals and curious tourists. On Summerday, the lifeboat captain outranks even the Teryn, and any bystander commanded by him to lend a hand is obliged to do so. There is little need to command anyone, however, as there are always more volunteers than space on the ropes. Along the way the boat is filled with donations of money, alcohol and clothing, to be distributed between the crew and the families of those lost at sea over the previous year. The entire journey usually takes a week to complete, having expanded from the initial one-day festival that just encompassed Ostwick City, and each night is marked by feasting, drinking and dancing.